Radial Arm Saw Table

This is the second part of my Chop Saw / Radial Arm Saw run that includes the 12 drawer bench (completed earlier and will post shortly)The idea was to get rid of the stand that came with the saw and have all my saws at the same level so the tables can be used for both saws for added support on longer boards.I kept the fron of this one simple with an open design and large openings to store larger boxes and jigs.The third picture shows my chop saw which is the next and final part of this long table system. Yes, too many off cuts lying around under it, but burning day is coming soon. I’ll post pics once I complete the entire run so you can all see the final results.

-- New Project = New Tool... it's just the way it is, don't fight it... :)

Viking,I haven’t seen any new ones in Home Depot… Got mine probably 5-6 years ago from them. I was actually wathing “just ask jon eakes” when he ran through the benefits of the Radial Arm Saw which convinced me that for the space I had at the time (wife’s garage) it was the best tool to start with. Since building my new shop, I have not used it much as I have converted to the table saw for most of my work…The Radial Saw is a very nice tool and Ridgid put it together very well.As with all my Ridgid brand woodworking tools, I have had great experiences with all of them and for the cost, you can’t go wrong… I’m thinking about picking up another one of thier planers to do all the rough work and keep one set up for the final passes…Wisty

-- New Project = New Tool... it's just the way it is, don't fight it... :)

I was expecting to see a huge pile of sawdust behind the saw. I would have thought it was a bear to clean up the recess at the back of the saw, is it? It’s very appealing to have the saw close to the wall, but dust collection seems like it would be an issue in that setup.

I mention this as I recently aquired ‘60s vintage Craftsman RAS and am trying to figure out how to insert it into my shop space.

Chris, I have not yet hooked up the dust collection system to the saw. I had it setup in my wife’s garage for a while with a big dust hood built out of plywood surrounding the back side of it. Once I finish the entire cabinet run on that wall, I’ll build in the dust collection which will consist of a downdraft surrounding connected to a shop vac located within one of the cabinet bases. This should be plenty to capture the majority of the dust from this machine. There is only a requirement for a small amout of space behind the saw in order to achieve this. I’ll post pics once the entire run is complete and let you all know how it went together… Wisty

-- New Project = New Tool... it's just the way it is, don't fight it... :)

when they first showed on job sitesthey were used by everyone to cut anythingno long tablesjust siting in the yard mostlyand to cut angles (rafters , fascias , etc.)and ‘tweaking’ the cutmade the tables and fences dangerousmany accidentsused properly it is as good a tool as any in the shop

-- david - only thru kindness can this world be whole . If we don't succeed we run the risk of failure. Dan Quayle

Hi patron,Just had a quick look at the first pics in your links. That looks like a really nice upgrade. The fence in mine is pushed all the way to the rear for storage while the saw is not in use. I still have to re-tune the saw and ensure it is 100% accurate. I do have other fences that I have built for various purposes, just not in the pictures.Someday, I’ll upgrade the table portion of my saw, but for now, I am still relying primarily on my table saw for most of my cuts. The RAS was actually my first big saw purchase (due to space constraints in my old shop – wife’s garage). Never had any regrets about buying it either as it is a great and useful saw.Thanks again for your comments and the links – much appreciated!Wisty

-- New Project = New Tool... it's just the way it is, don't fight it... :)